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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — in sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — hurry
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — happy
  14. present — there
  15. bound — tied together
  16. deal — to handle
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. net — after costs
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — for digging
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com